The Early Church meeting place(s)

Look at several clear examples of the early Church meeting in homes!

Acts 2:46
And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

1 Cor 1:11
For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

Rom 16:5a
Likewise greet the church that is in their house.

1 Cor 16:19
The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Priscilla greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.

Col 4:15
Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his house.

Phil 2
to the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:

Acts 5:42
And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

Acts 20:20
how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,

The Great Commission

Matt. 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Does this say we are to focus on reaching the lost? How about knocking on doors? Are we supposed to focus all our efforts in passing out tracts, bibles or giving to missions?

Don't misunderstand me. It is NEVER wrong to share the gospel......UNLESS the Holy Spirit does not allow you to (Acts 16:6-7)! But what does the "Great Commission" tell us to do?

1. Go

2. Teach / make disciples

3. Baptize

I think most churches have it backwards today. What has happened to discipleship? I'm just not seeing it.

Also, we are getting all caught up in doing "good" things that we are not always doing what God intends for us to do! Could you imagine Paul protesting an abortion clinic? Maybe, but more than likely he would not because he was called to something else. Doing that "good thing" would take him away from what God wanted him to do.

Just some thoughts.

2 Thes. 2:15

Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.

Acts 2:42

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

My personal testimony

I was a sinner (Rom. 3:23), I placed my faith in God who saved me through His grace (Eph. 2:8-9), and now I am dying to myself and living for Him daily (Luke 9:23)!

I do not really remember much of my life before I committed it to Christ at the age of 5. All you really need to know is that I was a sinner, just like everyone else in this world. I realized that I needed a Savior, not for "fire insurance", but because He loved me and wanted me to be with Him for all eternity, praising His name forever! (1 Peter 3:8-9)

I lived a pretty typical "good Christian" life and never got into big trouble with anyone. God definitely had His hand of protection on me concerning things of this world, such as drugs, sex, and anything that comes along with hanging around the wrong crowds (the influence of the world). Even though I saw these things in the Christian school I attended and in church youth groups as well, I recognized that it was not God's plan that was messed up but the heart of individuals who were not seeking His will. They were only seeking selfish desires. I was not immune to selfish desires, but mine were more along the lines of wanting to just hang out with friends regardless of other priorities, not taking care of my body as well as I should and things like that. Still bad. Still selfish. Still sin.

And I still struggle with these things. Not that they are "easier" to deal with now, but as an adult and as I have grown in Christ, I recognize the importance of putting selfish desires of any kind to rest and trust that God will take care of my wants if they are HIS desires. I have learned to pray that my desires become His desires, and it works!

The greatest time of growth for me personally has been in the last 3+ years. I met a family who holds weekly meetings in their home. I learned a lot about how the New Testament Church was structured, and I was faced with some biblical doctrine I had not ever heard before, or in some cases, had even argued against before. My first reaction was to run away, thinking it was false doctrine. I was challenged, and through trials come growth! James 1:2-4 says, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." I have also learned to pray for wisdom, believing God will give it to me (James 1:5-6, the very next verses), and what a difference this truly makes!

So as I was challenged, I continued to ask God for wisdom. The teacher at these bible studies, the elder of this house church, taught in a way that made us look for the answers ourselves straight from God's word (2 Timothy 2:15). He asked questions and was constantly giving Scripture passages to look up, many of these things I had read over my whole life but never noticed before! After having been in church since the first Sunday after I was born, I honestly felt completely dumb every time I walked through the door of this house. But that was a good thing because I had become teachable!

After a few months, some concerned friends and family were getting to me. I started having doubts about whether these doctrines that were being taught were really biblical or if this was some kind of cult, as the average life-long denominational Christian seemed to believe. So I backed off for a while. I stopped meeting with this group of believers, but I was still challenged and still hungry for the word! Over the next couple of years I thought of this family and the others who attended quite often. I would occasionally call or email, but they had come to believe that I was like most other Christians and was not open to any more teaching. They thought I had gone back to the denomination and was no longer teachable.

Not so! Quite the contrary, actually. As I was continually challenged by family and friends, I only saw confirmation again and again that some of the doctrines I had held onto most of my life were indeed false! Instead of listening to the doctrines of men, I was now listening to the Word of God, and I could see much more clearly that so much of what I believed was wrong! And it was important to get it right!

As a result of me being challenged and growing through it all, I am now burdened to challenge others. I do not always come across well in written form, but I am overcome with love for God and for my Christian brothers and sisters, for everyone to get the doctrines of the bible right. God desires unity, so I do not believe it is okay to just "agree to disagree". (Eph. 4:3, Rom. 15:5-6, Phil. 2:2) 1 Cor. 10:10-13 says, "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" There is so much in the bible about being in unity. We are all part of one body, the body of Christ. I do not have all the right answers, but I definitely have better answers now than I did 3 years ago, because they come from the bible, not from denominational doctrine.

Through being challenged in a denominational church earlier this year, I have learned that by adopting a creed, a statement of faith, catechisms, etc. I was putting God in a box and did not feel the need or desire to learn outside of those things. I have also learned that if those things are truly based on Scripture, then I do not need to rely on man's own interpretation of Scripture....I have my own copy of God's word and the Holy Spirit to interpret for me! I think that is why there is so much division in the Church right now. Everyone wants to believe something different, and instead of just simply studying the bible together, they refer to a written outline, a man-made set of beliefs. No wonder there is so much confusion in the Church, and we know confusion does not come from God! (1 Cor. 14:33)

I pray that all who read this testimony of how God is working in my life will be challenged in their own walk, to seek the Truth of God's holy word and not rely on man-made doctrine. May God get the glory. For only He is worthy. I am merely a vessel used for His purpose, to give glory, honor and praise to the Creator of all things! It is my prayer that I will be used to show others how they can do the same. God bless!

Head coverings

I know, ya'll already think I've totally lost it with some of my personal beliefs (Hey, I'm just following God's word!), but I'm going to go even weirder on you tonight. Ready?

The early church studied the doctrinal teachings of the apostles, and one of those teachings was on head coverings. I think that the reason there is not much space devoted to it in the New Testament is because back in those times it was more easily understood.

Okay, so I have been studying 1 Cor. 11 for a few months now, and in the beginning I was just convicted to be more submissive to my husband, and out of that came the decision to grow my hair back out again (because of the passage AND because he never wanted it short to begin with). That was all very clear to me, but now God is taking me deeper, and it's just not quite as clear. I just wanted to ask your opinion on it.

How do you feel about head coverings? Paul is clearly talking about a material covering as opposed to the hair, but I am finding two different beliefs on this. One is that a woman should ONLY cover while praying or prophesying (which includes reading the Bible aloud) in corporate worship, which I understand why they believe this, but I just have never completely agreed with it. The other, more common, belief is that women of those times were covered at ALL times when in public as part of their modest attire, and that Paul was saying to leave the cover on while praying or prophesying (don't take it off). I have read that there were prophetesses who would remove their cover when they prayed or prophesied (because they were doing a man's work), and that is what Paul was referring to. (But note that later he says that women should remain silent in the church!)

Paul specifically tells them to keep it on (I believe.....the 2nd take on it), and though this is based in part on cultural dress, I think we, as Christian women today, should also include a head covering as part of our modest ensemble! It is clear, if you study head coverings throughout the centuries, that women gradually changed to more fashionable coverings, designer hats and then stylish hairdos because of current styles........so does that make it okay NOT to cover just because the majority of women in our modern culture do not??? What do you think? I really do want to hear what your understanding of this apostolic teaching is!

And keep in mind, we were called out as a peculiar people to be different from the world! I'm all over that one! :)

Baptism

The other night I had a dream, and though I am not one to blindly believe that all dreams (or even very many of them) will come true, I do not ignore them either. I love the spiritual dreams though. They do not come very often, but when they do they always make me think about that particular topic the whole day following the dream.

A week or so ago I dreamed about baptism. It was just simply an analogy that has made me rethink the meaning of baptism, and I've been thinking about it all week! I don't really remember a lot of detail, but it was such a cool analogy.

Okay, so most Christians have heard the analogy of the wedding ring, that baptism SHOWS others that we are a Christian like a wedding ring shows people we are married. My dream did not agree with that!

Baptism is actually more like the wedding CEREMONY. When a couple is in love and decides to spend the rest of their life together, they make a commitment, a covenant to each other, in front of the whole world (or at least 2 witnesses). When a person decides to follow Christ, they make it official and make a public commitment in front of the whole world that they have decided to follow Christ!

I shared this with Myles, and he thought about it for a few minutes then added even more. The wedding RING is similar to our spiritual fruit. Matthew 7:20 says, "Therefore by their fruits you will know them." And we know someone is married by seeing a ring on their finger. Cool, huh? :)

What do you think?

Ds1 will be baptized this coming Sunday, August 2nd. We had a talk with him about what it means to be a Christian......to be a true follower of Christ, and that means daily! We have seen him maturing so much lately. He has been asking some of the deepest questions and is showing more responsibility. There was a time when he was younger when he "asked Jesus into his heart" (which is not exactly biblical), and he remembers it well, but he hasn't really been a Christ follower and taken up his cross daily. He says he is ready to make that commitment! Praise God!!! Dd1 will probably be baptized soon too, but we tried to have the same conversation with her and she was giggly and distracted. She has said for a while now that she is a Christian and wants to follow Christ daily, and we will encourage her to do that, but we just don't think she is ready to make that public commitment yet. Soon though, Lord-willing!

The Early Church vs. Cults

Someone jokingly commented to me recently that the early church of the New Testment almost seemed like a socialist or communist community! On the surface maybe it does a bit, but when you look at the whole picture, it is such a beautiful thing!

Acts 2:44-45 - ⁴⁴ Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, ⁴⁵ and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

The difference here, it seems, is that these early Christians were happily giving everything they had of their own free will, not by being forced or having laws made that took everything from them. They were very content in living simply and gave out of love for God and each other.

What I really wanted to talk about right now though is cults. There are so many today as a result of false teachers that 2 Peter chapter 2 and other passages warn about. First I want to look at some of the signs of a cult. Here are just a few, and the group or leader does not have to fit in every category to actually be a cult.

1. Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
2. No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
3. Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
4. There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
5. Followers feel they can never be "good enough".
6. The leader is always right.
7. The leader tends to be determined, domineering, and charismatic.

Now, go through this list again and think about a church, maybe the one you attend or used to attend.....

Pretty scary, huh?

Now as I said before that a group or leader does not have to fit into every single category to be a cult, the same is true for the opposite. Just because a group or leader fits into one or two categories does not mean they are a cult. It can be a fine line sometimes, but there are plenty of groups or people out there who have just been misled and maybe have not realized what they are doing and teaching. Some actual cults may not realize it either though! But we do have to realize that some people are just deceived by false teachings themselves, and maybe some of what they teach is true (which is how false teachings are so common, they mix lies in with the truth).

Okay, I'm rambling. Let me give specific examples of a church I have gone to in the past. Compare with the list above.

1. The pastor had total, final say in the way things operated, who was allowed in the building, who would be the next deacon, etc. Even if there was a vote it was very clear he had control of the group to the point of very subtly (or maybe not so much) getting them to vote on who HE wanted to be the next pastor! The average person may not have noticed, but I was watching specifically for these things!
2. The pastor always seemed to have an answer, even though many times he clearly pulled out of Scripture certain passages to "support" his false beliefs while twisting them to say what he wanted them to say. If anyone disagreed with him, he would pull them aside and tell them, with all his authority, that he has to "protect the flock", which was another way of saying "do things my way or you're outta here".
3. While it is true the bible says that Christians will be hated by the world and persecuted for Christ's sake, this pastor would preach over and over again that we are in war. It is true, but he preached it in a way that kind of stirred up that inner war cry, ready to go out and conquer the world.
4. The church was going through a merger that "ended badly", and I have since wondered if maybe it didn't happen because they saw these cultish tendencies! But the pastor and his followers (the mindless sheep) seemed to paint a picture of this other group as evil people who were not true believers but following false doctrines themselves. Maybe they were, I don't know!
5. Well, of course no one can ever be "good enough" to get into heaven, but I guess the reason I included this point is because this preacher pounded Calvinism into everyone's brain over and over and over again, and Calvinism teaches that because we cannot be good enough, we are not capable of even accepting the gift of salvation (because that would be our own works!), but Christ makes that happen. He calls you and regenerates you without your consent, so to speak. So he just continued to cram that doctrine down everyone's throat (to maintain total control as well), so everyone believed (or so it seemed) that they do not have free will.
6. Of course he was always right, and there was no accountability for him, so he remained in total control! In the early church there were elders (plural) appointed at every city, and all the little house churches were part of the larger whole body of believers, so they all had accountability! Not most modern churches though where there is only one pastor! And the younger pastors tend to have more pride or are at least more susceptible to it, and I definitely saw it in this man!
7. Determined he was! Definitely determined to have things run his way rather than God's, and determined to doctrinate everyone with Calvinism! He was definitely domineering as well, always taking the lead even when someone else was supposed to be speaking or teaching. Charasmatic? Oh, yes, he definitely was! It makes him a more likable, believable guy!

I'm sure there are more characteristics I could name off, but these are the ones that stand out to me the most. It was hard to be a part of this group. While I dearly loved the people and even the pastor and his family, it was hard to continue listening to the false teachings week after week. And this was a baptist church, the one denomination I thought was "safe"!

My heart really goes out to this family (he is still the pastor) and the families who are still there. Please pray for them!

I just wanted to blog about this so you could see how many modern "churches" are actually more like cults than they are the early church! Watch for these things in your own church, and if you see them, run away fast and take as many with you as you can! Start a home church with the purpose of being like the New Testament early church. Study doctrine together; not man's doctrine, not denominational doctrine, but doctrine straight from the bible. The things the apostles wrote! Partake of the Lord's Supper together while you are having a weekly meal. Pray together. Lift each other up daily. And fellowship together, which isn't hard to do when you eat together regularly. :) Oh, how I long for this every day! Once you taste it you will not go back to man's way of "doing church". God's way is so much infinitely better!!!

The purpose of meeting together in the early church

Acts 2:42:

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

I've already talked about preaching in the New Testament.....it was directed toward non-believers and it was always the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection that was preached. There was no preaching IN the church to other believers.

So what did they do in their regular meetings? According to Acts 2:42 they taught/studied the doctrines that the apostles delivered to them, they fellowshipped together, prayed together and ate together. Now, I believe that the "breaking of bread" was the Lord's supper because they all partook of one piece of bread in which they broke into pieces and shared together. But also, if you look at the institution of the Lord's supper, they were eating the Passover meal, so I believe it was also a normal part of their weekly meal.

So the New Testament Church did 4 main things:

1. studied doctrine together
   
2. fellowshipped together
3. prayed together
4. partook of the Lord's supper and a meal together

So many "churches" nowadays preach at least 3 times a week, sometimes more, and people just go sit in a pew and listen (or sleep) and then go home! There is very little fellowship, very little prayer, very little studying doctrine and very little eating together, though some do observe the Lord's supper each week.

There are a couple of good things I can say about the denominational church we attend for now. We do not observe the Lord's supper weekly or study doctrine weekly, but there is a lot of fellowship and a meal together every week as well as a weekly prayer meeting. I love the people there, I just wish it was more like the New Testament Church!

Doctrines of Men, part 3: Historical Church Documents

I wanted to include one more type of false doctrines to this topic: Historical Church Documents.

This is mostly associated with denominations (see how they all tie in together?), but they are still all doctrines of men. What are these historical church documents? I am speaking of creeds, confessions of faith and catechisms! This would also include individual churches' bylaws.

I may surprise a lot of people here, and even my own husband originally thought I was being "extreme", but over the last few weeks we have seen the dangers of following these documents. It may be true for some that they are based on the bible, but then I have one simple question.....

If it is based on the bible, why not just use the bible???

The danger in using these documents comes when someone or a group of believers begin putting these documents above the bible. I have heard preaching from these documents from the pulpit, which shouldn't really surprise me since the church doesn't follow the New Testament model to begin with! But this pastor actually said that we cannot fully rely on the bible only, but we also need these historical documents to know what our forefathers believed! I knew he valued these things far too greatly, but I was shocked to hear him say that. The Bible and the Holy Spirit (pray for wisdom and discernment!) is all you need in order to know the will of God and His doctrines! We do not need any doctrines of men or anything to "clarify" what the bible is saying!

See, that is how all the "isms" slip into churches these days. If believers would stop referring back to "church history" (that is not from the bible) and simply read the bible for what it says, there would be much more unity. Even many of the martyrs who died for what they believed in were heretics! The murderers didn't care what the martyrs believed, they just killed them for taking a stand, true or not! Just because they died for what they believed in does not make me obligated to follow them, I am obligated to follow GOD only.

The second more obvious problem is when man's interpretation of the bible is incorrect, and many believers are "catechizing" their children with these false teachings. Maybe most of it is true, but maybe some of it is not......are you sure you want your children learning and memorizing from them rather than straight from the bible? If you feel so strongly about teaching the catechisms, why not just use the questions and verses as a guideline and not even read what the written answers are? Find the answers for yourself straight from the bible!

As for the individual church bylaws, there is so much wrong with all that. First of all, it sets that one church aside as an individual, distinct organization, and we already know that denominations are not from God and that He desires unity among His Church (singular). Secondly, where in the bible does it talk about church voting, for example? They were told to appoint elders in every town (because all the house churches were one church!) in Titus 1:5:

For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—

There is much more to say about all of these topics, and maybe I will expound on them more one day, but this is some food for thought to anyone who is reading. I pray everyone will throw out their "hand-me-down doctrines" in exchange for reading and studying the word of God and see what the bible really says about certain doctrines. Some denominations are right on with some of the doctrines, but the fact that they are a denomination is not biblical, so you know we will find much more! I do not ever expect to find the "perfect" church, but I also am not willing to settle when I know of one that is truly following the New Testament example for the church of God. These little house churches do exist, they are just few and harder to find. If you do not find one near you, why not start your own! It may not be "ideal" and maybe you feel inadequate as a teacher, but do the best you can with what you have, and pray that God will send true believers to you who can all participate in the edification of the believers. It is such a joyous experience to truly experience this from Acts 2:42:

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

And I'll blog more about this verse in the near future. :)

Denominations in the Early Church

1 Cor. 1:10-13 - ¹⁰ Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. ¹¹ For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. ¹² Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” ¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

1 Cor. 3:1-4 - ¹ And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. ² I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; ³ for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? ⁴ For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?

Along the same lines of teaching unity, the early church taught against division. I don't even need to say anything else on this, I'll just let the bible, God's holy and infallible word, and the Holy Spirit of God speak for Himself.

Unity in the early church

Psalm 133:1 - Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brethren to dwell together in unity

John 10:16 - And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

John 17:11 - Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

John 17:21-23 - ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Acts 2:44 - Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,

Romans 12:4-5 - ⁴ For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, ⁵ so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.

1 Cor. 10:17 - For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.

1 Cor. 12:5 - There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.

1 Cor. 12:12-13 - ¹² For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. ¹³ For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.

1 Cor. 12:26-27 - ²⁶ And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.

Gal. 3:26-28 - ²⁶ For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. ²⁷ For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. ²⁸ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Eph. 1:10 - that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him.

Eph. 2:14-21 - ¹⁴ For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, ¹⁵ having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. ¹⁷ And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

Eph. 3:6 - at the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,

Eph. 4:1-6 - ¹ I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, ² with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, ³ endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Eph. 4:11-16 - ¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹² for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³ till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

With all this talk about unity, I think God may be trying to tell us something! If we are all listening to the Holy Spirit, we WILL be in unity. He would not give us all different interpretations of His word! So what does that say about Christians and "churches" today? Should there even be churches (plural) or just one Church, all members of the body of Christ?

Doctrines of Men, part 2: "isms"

And this time I don't mean kidisms!

This may not have to do exactly with the model of the early church in the New Testament, but it is about all the false doctrines being taught now that were warned about in those days! I find it especially interesting that some of the preachers who even warn about false doctrines are themselves teaching other false doctrines! The devil is sly indeed!

So let's just name a few of these false doctrines to begin with. These are all doctrines of men, perhaps based on some scripture, but they are almost all twisted to some degree to fit what the original false teacher wanted to be taught.

1. Arianism
2. Syncretism
3. Marcionism
4. Syncretism
5. Universalism
6. Gnosticism
7. Nestorianism
8. Pelagianism
9. Marionism
10. Glossolalianism
11. Montanism
12. Eunomianism
13. Monarchianism
14. Sabellianism
15. Macedonianism
16. Apolinarianism
17. Nestorianism
18. Eutychianism
19. Arminianism
    
20. Monophysitism
21. Monothelitism
22. Noeticism
23. Docetism
24. Subordinationism
25. Ebionism
26. Patripassianism
27. Modalism
28. Antinomianism
29. Gnosticism
30. Manicheanism
31. Unitarianism
32. Calvinism

Let's take a look at the last one, for example. The main 5 points of Calvinism are TULIP:

Total Depravity (also known as Total Inability and Original Sin)
Unconditional Election (God is sovereign and can do whatever He pleases, so he chooses who will go to heaven and who will not)
Limited Atonement (The blood of Jesus does not cover the sins of the whole world, only the sins of the elect)
Irresistible Grace (no one can resist the grace of God......no free will of man)
Perseverance of the Saints (also known as Once Saved Always Saved)

John Calvin came up with verses to fit each point, and it sounds very convincing if you are not familiar with the entire bible to some degree or if you don't at least study for yourself. I just want to pick out two points of this to disprove, though I disagree with more than these two points.

Election - Romans 8:29 - For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Most people who agree with Calvinism stop after the word predestined. But if you keep reading, you will easily see with your own eyes that God did not predestine us to a place (heaven or hell), He predestined (or predetermined) for us to be like Christ! That is what predestination is! And we are called His elect if we are followers of Jesus! That's all there is to it. Not difficult to understand at all, is it?

Limited Atonement - 1 John 2:2 - And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.

John is writing to other believers, and he is telling them (us) that Jesus died for the whole world! It is very clear here. He says "for our sins" and then goes on to say "not for ours only but also for the whole world." How much more clear can it be???

There are many more verses, but that is all you need to see to know that Calvinism, which seems to be making a huge comeback recently, is another false doctrine of man.

I find it interesting too that Many Southern Baptist churches and seminaries teach this and yet they do not practice infant baptism, and Calvin believed and taught infant baptism! He persecuted those who did not practice it! If he can be so wrong about one subject, why are so many blindly following his other teachings?

James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Pray for wisdom and the Holy Spirit will help you understand God's word. You do not need someone else's hand-me-down doctrine that is probably false to understand the Bible, just read it for yourself and let the Holy Spirit interpret it for you! Pray for wisdom and discernment. Be sure it is the Holy Spirit who you are listening to or you might just come up with a false doctrine of your own! But if it is the Holy Spirit, then all believers should be in unity, because God would not give us each different interpretations. Division and confusion is from satan, not God. Denominationalism and false doctrines are from satan, not God.

Doctrines of Men, part 1: Scriptures against it

Col. 2:20-23 - 20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

Titus 1:10-16 - 10 For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, 11 whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” 13 This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, 14 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth. 15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

Isaiah 29:13 - Therefore the Lord said:

“ Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths
And honor Me with their lips,
But have removed their hearts far from Me,
And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,

Matt. 15:1-20 - 1 Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying, 2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.”
3 He answered and said to them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, saying, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5 But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God”— 6 then he need not honor his father or mother.’ Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition. 7 Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

8 ‘ These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
9 And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

10 When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: 11 Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.”
12 Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?”
13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
15 Then Peter answered and said to Him, “Explain this parable to us.”
16 So Jesus said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? 18 But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. 19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. 20 These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man.”

We (followers of Christ) need to stop listening to other people's doctrines, the hand-me-down fables that are usually associated with denominations and cults.

2 Tim. 2:15 - Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

We are each accountable for our own lives and how we live, so study for yourself and don't let someone else tell you what to believe. Just read the Bible and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you. Just be sure it is the Holy Spirit! Pray for wisdom and discernment!

Preaching in the Early Church

This video is so funny, no doubt, but it is also very sad to me. The toddler is obviously doing what he has seen acted out in front of him week after week in the church his family attends. I don't have a point specifically for this video, but it is a good segue into the topic of preaching!

First let me say that "church" is for believers, born-again Christians. It is not meant to be a place to bring the world in, though that is what is happening today. If the Spirit is calling someone, they will come visit a local church without all the bells and whistles.....but that's another post! I just wanted to be clear that THE Church is the group of believers, not a building. We are the people of God, the saved, the redeemed!

Acts 20:7 - (NKJV)
Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.

I have heard several pastors in my lifetime jokingly use the example of Paul preaching late into the night to justify their long-windedness. So let's first take a look at this passage.

In the Greek Acts 20:7 translates:
And on the first [day] of the week, having been assembled the disciples to break bread, Paul discoursed to them, about to depart on the morrow; and he continued the discourse until midnight.

The word in Greek translates to "discourse", not preach. (It is also translated to reason.) So let's take a look at what discourse means.

The online Webster's dictionary in part defines discourse as "verbal interchange of ideas ; especially : conversation"

So Paul went long into the night and probably talked quite a bit, but he was not preaching to the church, it was a discussion! I'm sure he talked a lot because he had a lot to share about the other churches of God, but the other believers had opportunity to talk as well. It was a conversation; he talked, they talked, back and forth, questions, answers, etc. It went on all evening, so I'm sure there were people getting up to go to the potty, get a drink, get a snack, etc. Paul was an encourager and teacher and missionary and so much more, but it appears here that he was not preaching to the believers.

This same word in the Greek is also used in Acts 17:2; 18:4; 18:19; 19:8, 9; 20:7, 9; and 24:12, 25.

Okay, but we do know there was preaching in the New Testament, so let's just look at other examples.

Acts 8:4-8, Phillip preaches ("proclaimed" in Greek) Christ to the city of Samaria (not the church)

Acts 9:20, Saul was preaching ("proclaiming" again) in the synagogues (Jews, not Christians)

In Acts chapter 13 Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel of Christ to the Jews first and then the Gentiles (non-believers)

There are several other examples of preaching in the New Testament, and they all seem to be pretty clear that preaching was mostly directed toward non-believers. There may have been some new Christians in the mix, but the messages were directed toward the lost.

So how did modern day church preaching begin? It seems, from my study just in these last few days, that the origin of preaching in modern day (protestant) churches began with John Calvin. He is the one who began the modern style of "sit, be quiet and listen to a sermon" in church. Now, it's not that I don't enjoy hearing a good, God-fearing preacher, but preaching was intended for the lost, not believers! Even if we sit there and "amen" everything the preacher is saying, do we really need it for ourselves? Preaching in the New Testament was simply proclaiming the good news of Christ, all the other stuff about loving our neighbors, praying for our enemies, fruit of the Spirit, etc. does not need to be preached from the pulpit, it should be taught in a teaching fashion which allows other believers to interact, answer questions, etc.

I have done a word study on various leadership titles recently, and it can be assumed that pastor, elder, overseer, bishop and shepherd all mean the same thing. This person is to be a teacher, but I have not found anything in the bible about this person preaching. Timothy is an evangelist, a missionary. He traveled around and preached the gospel, so he could not have been a pastor, which makes sense to me too because he was young and elders were usually older.

There is a lot more that could be said on the subject, but I believe I have made my point that preaching in the New Testament was directed toward non-believers, not Christians, and therefore not in the Church meetings! It is very important and does have its place, and it certainly won't hurt us to hear it from time to time, but it is not biblical to preach to believers on a regular basis! There needs to be conversational bible study, fellowship and prayer, and the breaking of bread (which could mean eating together or could literally mean breaking the bread as in the Lord's supper, but the Lord's supper took place during the meal anyway.....but that's another post.)

God's Church, God's Way!

Have you noticed that today's typical institutional church is not like the New Testament Church? Let's look at the early church and see what it was like, in a nutshell.

Acts 4:32 - (NKJV)
Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

When I was a teen, probably around 14 or 15, I went to Jerry Falwell's church, and they had a very good youth group where I really grew in my faith and walk with the Lord. This verse JUMPED out at me during Sunday School one day. How awesome would it be if there were actually a church like this nowadays that actually was all in unity together and shared everything, and no one was ever in need! I tucked it away in the back of my mind, thinking "it would be nice", but I never thought it could actually exist in our culture.

Well, it does! A real bible-teaching, bible-believing, bible-living church is actually near my house, but we are currently attending a local denominational, institutional church (waiting for Hubby to study the NT church more with me.....he's getting there!).

I say this to encourage anyone out there who is looking for a biblical church not to give up! They are rare, but they do exist! The one I hope to be a part of soon doesn't have a name and does not associate with any denomination, they just call them the little Church that meets at their house, and they study the bible for exactly what it says instead of listening to others' hand-me-down doctrines! They also keep in touch with other like-minded house churches all over the world! It is so refreshing, and it is challenging because I am hearing truth that I have never heard taught before (some of it is new, some my baptist heritage actually got right!), so it makes me study more for myself to confirm what he is teaching (or prove him wrong, but I haven't found that yet).

I have desired this kind of fellowship and bible study for more than half my life now, and it has been about 3 years since Chrysinda and I stumbled upon it (or rather, God led us to these people), so I can wait a little longer for my beloved to understand these things better for himself. :) I just wanted to blog about this topic though because it is so important. I am very passionate about doing what the word of God says, not doing things the way I want or the way everyone else or a denomination or some -ism tells me to do them!

So watch for the "Early Church" blogs/tags. :) I want to write about various topics as I am studying them more. I do hope you are blessed reading and studying this for yourself, and please, if you find Scripture to prove me wrong on any point, I will change the blog to be accurate! It is God's Church done God's way, and I don't want to screw that up!

I'll leave you with a visual image of what the New Testament Church looks like in practice.

Head Coverings through the ages

I am doing a study on head coverings right now, and it has been very interesting! The passage I am studying is 1 Cor. 11:2-16. I will not get into debating it here, but I came across this site that I wanted to share. I found it so interesting to see the way head coverings have changed over the centuries!

The Christian Woman’s Head Covering Through the Centuries

When I first saw some Mennonite women with their head coverings, I couldn’t imagine why they were wearing those things on their heads. I figured it was simply some type of quaint costume.

But then I read the writings of the early Christians. And then I understood why Mennonite and Amish women wear prayer veils or head coverings. I realized that it was in obedience to 1 Corinthians 11:5, which says, “Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved.” The early Christian women veiled their heads not only in church, but also anytime they were in public.

From my later study of church history, I discovered that Christian women continued to maintain this practice through the all centuries up to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. During the nineteenth century, many Christians in the United States and western Europe began arguing that long hair constituted the only covering women needed. Others said that women only needed to wear a covering when in church. The middle class and wealthy women switched from veils and caps to ornate bonnets—if they wore a covering at all. Bonnets became more a matter of fashion than of modesty or obedience to 1 Corinthians 11.

By the turn of the twentieth century, the ornate bonnets of the nineteenth century had given way to ladies’ hats. Until the mid-century, women in Europe and America typically wore a hat or scarf in public, but they were simply following tradition and fashion—without realizing that there was originally a spiritual reason behind the practice. Similarly, until about 1960, western women wore hats when in church. But the meaning behind the hat was lost.

Today, Christian women in eastern churches still cover their heads in church. Some of them cover their heads all of the time. In the west, some Plymouth Brethren women still wear the prayer veil in church, as do many black women. But usually these sisters do not wear a head covering at other times.

Generally speaking, in the west today, only the Mennonite, Amish, Brethren and Hutterite women still practice wearing a head covering at all times. However, in recent years, they have been joined by thousands of Christian women from house churches and other independent congregations who have re-discovered this New Testament practice.

But, as it has been said, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” So I have set forth below pictures of the Christian woman’s head covering from the early Christian era to the present day.

David Bercot

200's: Catacombs-Rome

200's: Catacombs-Rome

200's: Catacombs-Rome

200's: Catacombs-Rome

300's: Catacombs-Rome

Middle Ages During the Middle Ages, Christian women continued to wear head coverings for modesty and prayer. These coverings were quite substantial. In fact, the traditional veil worn by Roman Catholic nuns until recent times were based on the coverings that most Christian women wore in medieval Europe.

800's: England

1100's: Europe

1200's: Europe

1300's: England

1400's: England

1400: Germany

1450: Italy

Reformation Era Around the time of the Reformation, the cap form of head covering became popular in northern Europe in place of a hanging veil.

1500's: Europe

1500's: Europe

1520: Germany

1525: Lutheran Church Service

1530: England

1530: German Anabaptist

1535: Belgium

1560: France

1567: Belgium

1580: Netherlands

1600's and 1700's In the sixteenth century, the cap type of covering replaced the hanging veil in western Europe and in the newly discovered Americas.

1600's: Europe

1620: France

1620: New England

1625: France

1600's: Netherlands - Anabaptists

1650: England

1650: Netherlands

1655: Netherlands

1660: England

1670: Europe

1750: Europe

The 1800's During the 1800's, middle and upper class women generally wore bonnets for head coverings. Sometimes these were more a matter of fashion than of modesty. However, among the common people, caps and veils were still quite common.

1800's: England

1800's: England

1800's: England

1800's: England

1800's: England

1800's: England

1800's: England

1800's: United States

1820: United States

1825: United States

1850: France

1870: England

1880: United States-Black Woman

1888: Brittany

1890: England

The Twentieth Century

1900: United States

1920: New York - Russian Immigrant

1929: United States

1940: Christian Women in India

1943: Lutherans

1945: Episcopalians

1948: United States - Roman Catholic Confirmation

1948: Presbyterians

1950: Canada - Hutterites

1950: Episcopalian Confirmation

1953: Black Baptists - Baptism

1954: Roman Catholic baptism (U. S.)

1955: Congregationalists

1960: Nuns